Economic ties, security on the agenda as Chinese President Xi Jinping heads to Africa

HARARE, Zimbabwe – Some immigration signs at Zimbabwe's main international airport are in Chinese, a sign of China's deep economic inroads in Africa, which Chinese President Xi Jinping will be visiting this week.

Xi arrives Tuesday in Zimbabwe before heading on Wednesday to South Africa. There, he will attend a forum on cooperation between Africa and China, whose investment on the continent hit more than $3.5 billion last year. Zimbabwe, whose economy is faltering, would like to get a bigger piece of it.

Chinese-built roads, bridges and power installations are found across Africa, often paid for in resources or through loans from China that must eventually be repaid.

Xi will also discuss security. Three Chinese civilians were among 19 people killed in an Islamic extremist assault on a hotel in Mali last week.